The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector having individually isolated terminals to eliminate mutual interference between the terminals during high-speed signal transmission and therefore enable faster and more stable transmission of signals.
With the increasingly developed technologies, computers have been designed to provide incredibly powerful functions. That is, the central processing unit (CPU) inside each computer has a higher operation capability than ever. Meanwhile, the Internet has become so popular that upload uploading and downloading at extremely high speed speeds, via wide-band optical fibers, asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) and the like has been developed in response to user demands. Thus, peripheral Active/passive components for using the Internet must be matched to the high operating speeds. A cable for transmitting signals between the CPU of a computer and the Active/passive components is therefore particularly important, and connectors at two ends of the cable are responsible for successful high-speed signal transmission.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are exploded and partially assembled perspective views, respectively, of a conventional connector. As shown, the conventional connector includes a metal case 4, a plastic body 1, an insertion plate 2, two hold-down plates 3. The metal case 4 is put onto an outer portion of a front end of the plastic body 1, and insertion plate 2 is connected to the rear end of the plastic body 1.
Two rows of staggered terminals 11 are provided at upper and lower sides of the plastic body 1. The plastic body 1 includes two rearwardly extended lateral walls 12, inner surfaces of which are provided with two guide ways 13. Each guideway 13 has a retaining hole 14 provided therein, such that the insertion plate 2 can be connected to a rear side of the plastic body 1 by sliding it into the guide ways 13. Moreover, the two lateral walls 12 have two vertically extended insertion slots 15 symmetrically provided at their inner surfaces.
The insertion plate 2 is provided at two lateral sides with two retaining projections 22 for engaging with the retaining holes 14 in the guide ways 13 on the plastic body 1, so as to hold the insertion plate 2 to the rear side of the plastic body 1. The insertion plate 2 is also provided at its upper and lower surfaces with a plurality of terminal slots 21 corresponding to the terminals 11. When the insertion plate 2 is connected to the rear side of the plastic body 1, rear ends of the terminals 11 are located in corresponding terminal slots 21 on the insertion plate 2. Rear ends of the terminal slots 21 are spaced from one another with spacing ribs 23. Middle portions of the spacing ribs 23 at both upper and lower sides of the insertion plate 2 are cut away to provide two transversely extended recesses 24. And, two vertically extended slots 25 are provided at two lateral sides of the insertion plate 2 corresponding to the insertion slots 15 on the plastic body 1.
Each of the hold-down plates 3 is provided at middle points of two lateral sides with two projections 31. The hold-down plates 3 are provided at a front part of one side facing the insertion plate 2 with a plurality of hold-down ribs 32 corresponding to and adapted to be located in the terminal slots 21. The projections 31 may be vertically guided into the insertion slots 15 to connect the hold-down plates 3 to the plastic body 1 and to be separately located at upper and lower sides of the insertion plate 2.
Each of the interconnecting cables 5 includes a plurality of conducting wire 51 that are arranged in a predetermined manner corresponding to the terminals 11, and a transverse clamp plate 53 holding the previously arranged conducting wire 51 in place. A fixed length of front ends of the conducting wire 51 is extended from a front side of the clamp plate 53 to expose a fixed length of bare wires 52.
To assemble the above-described conventional connector, the insertion plate 2 is first connected to the rear side of the plastic body 1, and then G the clamp plates 53 of the cables 5 are set in the recesses 24 at upper and lower sides of the insertion plate 2, as shown in FIG. 2, such that the conducting wires 51 are separately located in and between two adjacent spacing ribs 23 with the bare wires 52 pressed against rear ends of corresponding terminals 11. Thereafter, the two hold-down plates 3 are connected to the plastic body 1 to be separately located at upper and lower sides of the insertion plate 2, by guiding the projections 31 into the insertion slots 15 to engage with the slots 25. After the hold-down plates 3 are held in place, the pressed ribs 32 provided at the front part of the hold-down plates 3 are separately located in corresponding terminal slots 21. Finally, rear parts of the hold-down plates 3 are integrally connected to tops of the spacing ribs 23, and the pressed ribs 32 at the front parts of the hold-down plates 3 are integrally connected at two lateral sides to two lateral sides of corresponding terminal slots 21 by way of high-frequency heat sealing, as shown in FIG. 3. The metal case 4 is then put onto the of front end of the plastic body 1 to complete the connector.
Please refer to FIG. 4. This figure is a sectional view taken along line A-Axe2x80x2 of FIG. 3. After the rear parts of the hold-down plates 3 are integrally connected to the tops of the spacing ribs 23, and the pressed ribs 32 at the front parts of the hold-down plates 3 are integrally connected at two lateral sides to two lateral sides of corresponding terminal slots 21, the bare wires 52 are separately located in individual terminal slots 21 to tightly contact with rear ends of corresponding terminals 11, such that short circuit at joints of the bare wires 52 and the terminals 11 can be eliminated.
The following disadvantages are found in the above-described conventional connector:
1. When signals are transmitted at high speed via the closely arranged terminals, electric energy on the terminals produces radiation resulting in mutual interference of the terminals with one another and accordingly slow and unstable signal transmission.
2. During high-speed transmission, electric energy on the connector produces radiation to form noise or crosstalk that interferes with other terminals, resulting in a poor signal transmission.
3. The terminals might have static electricity surrounded them due to external factors that affect the connector. Such static electricity forms an interference source in the signal transmission.
It is therefore desirable to develop an improved connector having individually isolated terminals to eliminate mutual interference of terminals with one another during high-speed signal transmission and enable faster and more stable transmission of signals.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a connector having individually isolated terminals, so that the terminals do not mutually interfere with one another during high-speed signal transmission, in order to enable faster and more stable transmission of signals.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector that has reduced noise or crosstalk produced during high-speed transmission, so that signals-can be more stably transmitted.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a connector that eliminates static electricity possibly produced around terminals and therefore prevents the signal transmission from being interfered by static electricity.
To achieve the above and other objects, the connector of the present invention mainly includes a plastic body having a steel case put over a front end thereof, an insertion plate connected to a rear end of the plastic body, an interconnecting cable including two rows of conducting wire separately set onto upper rear and lower rear sides of the insertion plate, and two covering plates separately covered onto upper and lower sides of the insertion plate to hold the conducting wire of the interconnecting cable in place and then integrally connected to the insertion plate by way of high-frequency heat sealing. The plastic body, the insertion plate, and the covering plates are provided at predetermined positions with slots for receiving metal isolation plates therein, so that terminals on the plastic body are individually surrounded by the isolation plates to eliminate mutual interference and therefore enable stable transmission of signals at high speed.